Eagles Draft Notebook: First-Rounders, Characters, and Heirs

On the eve of the 2025 NFL Draft, it's time to tie up some loose ends as the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles get ready to start the process with the 32nd overall pick in Round 1.

IN NAME ONLY?

If the Eagles select a player at No. 32 overall Thursday night, they will most likely be getting a first-round pick in name only.

"There's never 32 first-round grades on our board," Eagles GM Howie Roseman said earlier this month. "We don't have 32 first-round grades in this draft."

Typically, the number of first-round grades in the draft is somewhere between 15 and 20, and that may even be fewer this year because the strength of the 2025 class, at least from a value standpoint, is thought to be in the 20 to 50 range, according to multiple league decision makers.

Roseman wasn't confirming how many first-round grades the Eagles have this year, but did note they were able to get an in-house first-round-level prospect last year at No. 22 in cornerback Quinyon Mitchell.

Common sense says that kind of scenario is easier to slip through the cracks at 22 than at 32.

“Obviously, everyone's looking at things differently,” Roseman said. “Everyone has a different vision for what they're looking for their team. Everyone has a different vision for the particular players that they're looking at and you just hope that that makes sense for your football team.”

The two likeliest potential Philadelphia first-round possibilities who could start to drift a bit are Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen, and Texas A&M edge rusher Shemar Stewart.

If those two start to fall to the Eagles' orbit, expect Roseman, who has a war chest that could reach 20 picks over this season and next, to try to move up.

“You have to allow things to come to you," Roseman said. The chances that you're trading up into the top 10, top 15, top 20 are slim. That's hard to do. So you have to really kind of understand the strengths of the draft. You have to spend a lot of time being realistic about who you think you have an opportunity to get so you can spend a lot of time with them.

"... It's not my best quality, patience, but I think in this situation, understanding the reality of where we are in the draft, what's going to be available to us potentially, and making sure we know those guys backwards and forwards.”

THE CHARACTER JUDGING CHARACTER

Roseman may have gone a little too far on Todd McShay's podcast back in February when taking a no-tolerance stance against drafting a prospect who has had trouble with domestic violence.

That had to be walked back a little for contextual reasons.

“We have a process, we have an objective process that we use,” Roseman explained. “We live in a country where you're innocent until proven guilty, and so we try to abide by the judicial process.

"But I think to get into the details of what we do, that's part of our internal dynamics that I probably wouldn't want to get into."

Roseman leans on Dom DiSandro, the Eagles' now-famous consigliere with the title that can't fit on any nameplates: Senior Advisor to the General Manager/Director of Gameday Coaching Operations/Chief Security Officer.

To boil it down, "Big Dom" is running the background checks of any prospects with red flags in their past.

"We obviously have a process that we go through," said Roseman. "That starts with Dom. I don't think there's any doubt that he's the best in the National Football League, and in my opinion, really all of sports, in what he does. His ability to not only gather information, but to have a feel for people.

"And then we just have to make judgments. And in those situations, those are a little bit more subjective, and that's based on all the information that we get. We'll have a bunch of those in this draft, just like there are in every draft, and we're just trying to do whatever we can to increase the odds that we hit on a player. And talent's a big part of this. The person's a big part of this."

HEIR TO THE CHIEFS

The decision to take Cam Jurgens as the heir to future Hall of Fame center Jason Kelce at No. 51 in the 2022 NFL Draft wasn't a popular one at the time. If that decision wasn't already validated by a Pro Bowl selection and Super Bowl championship in Jurgens' first season taking over for Kelce in the pivot, the four-year, $68 million extension the Eagles handed the Nebraska product earlier this week is the official stamp.

One of the early positives of the Jurgens pick was Kelce being completely on board with it, even advocating for Jurgens. A sequel could be coming over the first two days of this year's draft with All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson, who will turn 35 in May en route to his own trip to Canton.

The Eagles have been looking to start the succession plan for Johnson, who is still performing at an All-Pro level and signed a one-year extension through the 2027 season.

“I think that would be an exceptional experience,” Johnson said of mentoring the next in line. “I credit Jason Peters for my development, keeping me aware of what the culture was like in the city, what I really need to focus on when I’m playing tackle. He was my biggest mentor.

“I think for me, where I’m at in my career, I love talking to the younger guys and helping these guys out. You can see their game develop. And being able to pass that stuff down the way that it was passed down to me is a cool thing."

Johnson is prepared to pay what Peters gave to him forward.

“It’s not like that at every place," Johnson acknowledged. "I think the culture has been this way here for a long time. Players have always looked out for the best interest of the team and the organization and so, yeah, I’d be honored to be a part of that process. Whoever we draft and whoever we bring in, I’ll be here to help.”

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